Saturday, November 24, 2007
Cat survives behind cupboard for 44 days by licking condensation from pipes
Posted by Unknown at 7:38 AM
A curious cat narrowly escaped death after getting trapped behind a bathroom cupboard for 44 days.Pensioner Jessie Sculpher, 79, was devastated when her new pet Tabitha went missing just three days after she took her home from the RSPCA.After searching her home and garden, Jessie resigned herself to the idea that Tabitha had run away. It was only when Jessie heard a strange sound coming from behind the vanity unit in the bathroom over a month later, was she finally reunited with her feline friend.
Jessie recalled: "It was 4am and I heard some scratching and knocking coming from the bathroom."At first I thought it was a rat but then I heard a miaow."Upon further investigation, Jessie found the tabby trapped behind the unit and the wall.Jessie explained: "I had to get my arm in and break the top of the hardboard. When I looked all I could see were her legs sticking out."My arm was all bruised but I pulled her out by her legs. She couldn't hold her head up and she couldn't stand." Worried Jessie rushed Tabitha to the Garth Veterinary Group in Driffield, East Yorkshire; where the cat was diagnosed with severe dehydration.
Jessie said: "They put her on a drip to get fluid into her but said she might not pull through.
"After she had gone for six weeks, I had given up hope. The vets think she had been unconscious for some of the time through dehydration."The vets thought she must have gone into some sort of coma but wondered whether she had licked condensation off the sink pipes."Fortunately, Tabitha pulled through and is content to remain at home after bonding with her new owner.
Protective Jessie enthused: "She is still a bit nervous but she is very affectionate and is playing and eating just fine."Paul Thompson, partner at Garth Veterinary Group, said it was a miracle the cat survived.He said: "She would have got to such a state of dehydration that she would have lapsed into a low-activity state."It is extremely rare to have survived this long and she is an extremely lucky cat that she is back to normal with no ill-effects."
